No artistic intention. I just love to paint.

I started painting portraits with oils in 2021 after spending a few months in the home office and desperately wanted to start something new that had always been on my bucket list. I suspect that so many people in this world have found themselves in a similar situation and started something creative during the pandemic.

Thank you Mobina M, oil alla prima on gessoed paper, 7½ x 7½" (19½ x 19½ cm)

 

Thank you Michele Alves, oil alla prima on gessoed paper, 11 x 11" (28½ x 28½ cm)

 

My best advice about the process of learning to paint is this: get addicted to it. Paint as much as you can and progress is guaranteed. Practice makes progress, not perfect. And also find a community where you can show your work and talk about it with other artists. Of course Instagram is just awesome for that. It’s also okay to start with affordable materials as you don’t have to be afraid to use them.

Thank you Kimiya, oil alla prima on gessoed paper, 7½ x 7½" (19½ x 19½ cm)

 

I have been drawing and painting all my life. I had created some portrait attempts with acrylics before but was never particularly happy with the medium’s properties, such as consistency, quick-drying or even that the colors changed slightly after drying. However, I started to combine both materials, oils and acrylics. In order to determine the proportions of the face I would create a rough sketch with pencil first. Then I did an underpainting with acrylics, and later after a short drying time, continued to paint the portrait with oils. Today, I don’t do preliminary drawings or underpaintings anymore.

Thank you Negari Zand, oil alla prima on gessoed paper, 9¾ x 9¾" (25 x 25 cm)

 

Thank you Chércoles, oil alla prima on gessoed paper, 11 x 11" (28½ x 28½ cm)

 

Since I have always liked to work quickly, the alla prima technique is perfect for me. Basically, I describe my working method as “quick-and-dirty.” A portrait usually takes about two to three hours. I paint mainly in sketchbooks, priming the pages with gesso. Afterwards I add a layer of acrylic paint in light gray (imprimatura). That takes away my fear of starting on a pure white blank page. In addition, the light gray tone allows me to paint into lights and in shadows at the same time. I build up the painting with oils, starting with a big brush and getting into details more and more. I don’t know why, but somehow nose tips and lips became my favorite parts to paint. Hands, jewelry and crazy patterns on clothes are my nemesis.

Since I paint very quickly and whenever my time allows, I managed to post a new portrait on social media every morning in 2022. Painting in sketchbooks (I now have almost 30 in which I paint at the same time) came in very handy as my work also doesn’t take up too much space in my apartment. Admittedly, I don’t have any artistic intentions as I don’t feel the need to express myself—I just paint for the love of it.  

My Art in the Making Thank you Becka Regan

Photo by Alex Villa

Although I mostly paint in sketchbooks, I would like to show the process with a painting I did on hardboard. I usually paint with the Zorn palette, but I add a bit of blue to it. Nowadays I don’t do drawings beforehand, and I also don’t do an underpainting anymore. I just build up the painting very naturally.

Stage 1

Stage 1  The First Brushstrokes

The gessoed hardboard has an additional layer of light gray acrylics. The first brushstrokes with a lot of odorless white spirit are done to locate the portrait. I very roughly define where the head should go.

Stage 2

Stage 2  Placing Some Shadows

Still using a big brush, I add more dark tones to get the proportions and also hint at where the arms and eyes might be.

Stage 3

Stage 3  The First Details

I use a smaller brush to put some details into the painting. I usually start with the lips and nose as these are the parts I like to paint the most.

Stage 4

Stage 4  The Eyes

The rest of the face is slowly building up. The next important part is, of course, the eyes. I put the highlights in the eyes at a very early stage instead of waiting until the painting is almost finished. I am a bit impatient.

Stage 5

Stage 5  Rest of the Body, Clothes and Background

After finishing the main part of the face I paint everything else at once. I usually paint jewelry last.

Stage 6

Stage 6  Finished Artwork

Thank you Becka Regan, oil, 19½ x 19½" (50 x 50 cm)

About the Artist 

Andreas Liss

Andreas Liss was born in 1974 and studied communication design at the University of Fine Arts Braunschweig, Germany. He worked as a freelance designer for many years and had a teaching position for nude drawing. Now, Liss works as a managing director in the advertising agency Logoform (Braunschweig/Leipzig).

Represented by
Kuvik Galerie, Dortmund, Germany, www.kuvikart.com

Contact at
info@andreasliss.de
www.andreasliss.de